The return of a painting to its Jewish heirs could endanger Germany?s cultural heritage, a German historian said. Christoph Stolzl, former head of the German Historical Museum, has criticized the decision by the Berlin Senate to force the city?s Brucke Museum to return Ernst Ludwig Kirchner?s painting ?Street Scenes? to the heirs of its former owner, Alfred Hess. The painting, returned in July, is due to go on the Christie?s auction block in New York, where it is expected to bring in more than $20 million. Stolzl, a former culture senator of Berlin, said the decision by the senate could trigger the return of up to 100 additional works ?that form the cornerstone of Germany?s modern art collections? ? based on what he called less-than-convincing proof of ownership.

The decision to return the painting was based in part on a 1998 agreement with the U.S. government regarding artworks confiscated by the Nazis or sold under duress due to persecution.

JTA